Teams find them and keep them. Even enigmatic Terrell Owens spent eight years in San Francisco. Randy Moss didn’t drive himself out of Minnesota until he’d had six 1,000-yard seasons. And both those players were traded, not let go for nothing.

It took Jackson a while to develop, having come from tiny Northern Colorado with raw talent and much to learn. But since the 2007 postseason, there have been few receivers in the game more productive, more capable of the big game or more dependable.

Now he is bound for free agency, and it seems the Chargers might be both unwilling and unable to make a winning bid.

It is believed the Washington Redskins and Chicago Bears will be the most aggressive of Jackson’s suitors.

The Chargers’ seeming resignation that Jackson will go somewhere else could be due in part to their having long been aware of a team — thought to be the Redskins — that will do almost whatever it takes to get Jackson.

We won’t know for sure until Tuesday afternoon, when teams can officially talk to unrestricted free agents.

“It’s all (meaningless) until it stops being (meaningless) and it’s for real,” one team personnel man said regarding the free agent market, meaning that no one really knows what a player will get until hard numbers are actually put to paper.

But that same person predicted the market for Jackson likely would get away from the Chargers.

It makes sense, too, that another person closely monitoring the situation said earlier this week: “He’s going to get more than you or I could ever imagine he would.”

(That person, by the way, was speaking to someone who has for some time valued Jackson as among the top five receivers in the league.)

If he’s right, the Chargers will be left looking to replace Jackson. That’s not an impossible task, just a terribly difficult one.

The Chargers are a better offense with Jackson. Philip Rivers is a better quarterback with Jackson.

Jackson’s height, physicality fighting for the ball, athleticism and hands have turned a lot of possible would-be incompletions into receptions and even prevented interceptions. Jackson’s presence changes the playbook and boosts Rivers’ confidence.

“Vincent and I have been here a long time,” Rivers said recently. “We have a great relationship … With the plays he’s made, there is no question he’s super valuable to us.”

But Rivers’ rare ability to make certain throws in certain ways makes Jackson a better receiver. And the Chargers’ offense is a comfortable place for Jackson, which is a big part of why he is willing to take less from the Chargers than another team.

But, according to people familiar with his thinking, he won’t take a whole lot less. (The Chargers could go as high as $11 million a year, but if the Redskins offer more than $12 million, which has been floated by knowledgeable people, Jackson probably will be shopping for real estate in Virginia.)